Users have access to a plethora of electronic devices to process various types of media content. For example, the user can use a lap top to access, using a browser, a web site to obtain information about a particular resource (for example, to read a Wikipedia article on the Berlin Wall or Ancient Greek language). The user can also access a streaming audio web site to listen to a particular audio file. The user can also access an on-line repository of video content and watch a particular video the user is desirous of watching.
Many instances of the video content are presented as a series of related episodes that are intended to be viewed sequentially, also called “series”. In other words, the episodes within the given video content (i.e. video series) are sequentially semantically linked in a sense that the plot of the next episodes flows from or is otherwise linked to the previous episode (either by the story line, characters or otherwise). As such, the user who views such the video content would benefit the most from viewing the episodes in the consequential manner. Otherwise, if the given viewer misses some of the episodes (or portions of the episodes), she may not be able to understand the complete storyline.
The content of larger multi-episodes video programs is typically broken down into seasons, each season containing a certain number of episodes. For example, LOST series, originally aired by American Broadcasting Company (ABC) had 6 seasons with 121 episodes in total. When the given television network initially airs the given series, the episodes are aired one after the other (with potential re-runs or replays).
The user who follows the series can either watch the episodes in real time when they are aired or otherwise record them (using a digital recorder or a PVR) to view them at a later instance of time. Some of these series (or at least a portion thereof) are available from the aforementioned on-line repositories of on-line content at a point in time after the original airing of the series on TV. The users can access such the on-line repositories of on-line content at their leisure, browse to the desired episode and watch it using their electronic device. Typically, the on-line repositories services offer a search function, much akin to that of search engines. For example, if the user knows a particular episode of the LOST series she is willing to watch, she can type in a search query “LOST, Season 2, Episode 3” to find the particular episode that she is interested in watching.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,119 teaches an apparatus and a method for playing content by searching for information on the last-watched-point with respect to the content that a user watched previously, with only a selection of a file name of selected content when playing series content. The apparatus includes an information-extracting unit which extracts a series title and a program title with respect to specific content based on an electronic program guide of the series content, a control unit which generates a file name based on the extracted series title and program title, an item-generating unit which generates a content item based on the extracted series title and program title, and the generated file name, and a retrieval unit which, if the specific content is to be played, extracts a last-watched-point value by searching for information on a play point corresponding to the file name.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,561,108 provides that viewing episodes of a video series in order allows for a good viewing experience and understanding of episode content of the individual episodes. Functionality can be implemented in a video recording device and/or at a content provider to collect data about viewing behavior to determine if a user(s) tends to view episodes of a series in order. The video recording device and/or content provider can also keep track of partially or fully viewed episodes and episodes that are ready for viewing to avoid acquiring already viewed episodes Being able to quickly catch up on missed episodes will allow for easier introduction to a video series and prevent viewers from abandoning programs. In addition, requests for particular episodes can be leveraged for dynamic episode scheduling and dynamic setting of advertisement rates.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,235 teaches a data processing system, comprising a network interface configured to couple to a data network; one or more processors coupled to the network interface; memory coupled to the one or more processors; a video interface coupled to the one or more processors and configured to output video data to a video display device; logic encoded in one or more computer-readable media wherein execution by the one or more processors causes receiving and storing in the memory a plurality of still images from an audiovisual program, wherein each of the still images is associated with a sequentially later time point within the audiovisual program; receiving first user input specifying invocation of a trick play mode of playing the audiovisual program; generating video output to the video interface wherein the video output comprises a first image position comprising one or more of the still images, a linearly second image position comprising one of the still images, and a linearly third image position comprising one or more of the still images; wherein the still images in the video output are arranged in the image positions in sequential order according to time point within the audiovisual program; generating updated video output to the video interface in which the still image of the second image position is shifted into the first image position, one of the still images of the third image position is shifted into the second image position, and one or more new still images are in the third image position.